Rose Quartz Universe
by MangaWitch808
Summary: A one chapter depiction of what Rose and the Gems might have gone through when Steven was born. It's not accurate to the true storyline of StevU, but rather a romanticized scene, full of bittersweet emotions. It made me cry, so watch out.


The Gems paced back and forth in fear as they waited for news of Rose's condition. Amid the echoes of Rose's tortured screams, they could barely keep themselves from bursting into the sanctuary and trying to save her.

The suspense was terrible.

Finally Amethyst shouted, "I can't take it anymore! We've got to go help her!" She stood up as if she was about to do something. Garnet and Pearl stared at her—Pearl with fear, and Garnet with irritation. Amethyst sat down and pouted, tucking her head on her knees, and laying down in fetal position. Amethyst mumbled, "I just hope she's okay…"

Pearl threw her hands in the air in frustration. She was crying. "I told her! I told her that this was a stupid idea! But no! She's so stubborn! Why did she go and, and, and…"

Garnet placed a hand on Pearl's shoulder, and offered a phrase of advice, "Think positive thoughts. She needs them."

No sooner had she uttered those words than the trio heard a heartbreaking scream of pure agony. Amethyst jumped up. Pearl couldn't hold back the tears. Garnert tensed, ready to fight. Greg ran out of the door and shouted, "I don't know what to do!" His face was red and sweaty. He seemed tired and beaten, as if he was the one giving birth.

Amethyst charged into the room, pushing Greg aside. Garnet took a deep breath and slowly marched into the room. Pearl gave Greg a look of pure hatred before tiptoeing into Rose's inner sanctuary.

She saw Amethyst kneeling on the floor, bawling in tears. Even Garnet was overwhelmed, and dripping tears. Pearl realized why they were crying.

Rose was sitting in her fountain, holding a tiny infant. She was wailing, her emotional pain worse than any damage anyone had ever inflicted on the gems. The depth of the pain in her tears was so heart wrenching that one couldn't help but cry.

Rose exclaimed, "What have I done!?"

Greg ran back into the room. "Rose what can I do?" he asked.

Rose cuddled the infant closer. "How could I be so selfish?!" she sobbed. "I brought this child into the world without a mother!"

Her image flickered. Amethyst and Pearl flinched, as if they'd been punched. Garnet asked, "What's going on Rose?"

Rose sobbed so hard. "I'm so stupid! Why did I think this would work? There's only one gem, and there's two of us!" She held up the baby, so that all could see that it had half a gem, split right down the middle in a zig-zag pattern, in its belly button. She had the other half.

Pearl gasped.

Amethyst trembled, "But…but…how?"

Pearl offered an explanation between sobs and sniffles. "Her healing fountain is the only thing keeping them both alive, but it won't sustain them forever."

Rose added, "As long as I hold him close, we can both exist, but not for long…"

Garnet punched a wall, breaking it into a pile of rubble. "We warned you Rose Quartz!" she shouted.

Amethyst pushed Garnet, "Now's not the time to blame anyone. How can we fix this? Pearl?!"

Pearl cried, "I have no idea!"

Greg said, "Can't it just grow back?"

Amethyst yelled, "Can't you shut up!"

Pearl said, "You've caused enough trouble!"

Rose begged, "Please, don't argue." She snuggled with her child. "He's a boy, you know." Tears still flowed from her eyes, but she wasn't wailing in misery anymore. She sniffled and rubbed the child's hair. "What should we name him?"

Amethyst yelled at Rose, "Why are you thinking of names when you're both about to die!?"

Pearl shoved Amethyst back, "Don't say that!"

Amethyst shoved Pearl right back, "You don't see her split gem!? How'd that even happen?!"

They both looked at Greg. Greg answered, "It just split! I dunno!"

Rose shrieked with grief. They stopped arguing and stared at her. She squeezed the baby. "He's not breathing anymore!" She rubbed her cheek against his.

Garnet, who had been contemplating, suddenly started toward Rose Quartz. She held out her hands, as if asking for the baby. "You know what we must do," she told Rose.

Rose shook her head. "Never."

Garnet still held out her hands.

Rose stroked the baby's chin. "No." she refused. The baby's image flickered. Then Rose's image flickered. Then both images flickered.

Garnet asked, "You've got to take your gem back from that baby."

Rose blatantly stated, "I'd rather die."

Pearl covered her mouth. Amethyst bit her lip.

Garnet was taken aback by that statement. Everyone knew it, even though they couldn't see Garnet's eyes.

Rose nodded. "As soon as it cracked, I knew I was going to give up my life for his. So no. I'm going to pay the price for my stupid fantasy…" She sniffled. "I just wanted a family… was that so wrong?"

Greg walked over to her and joined her in the fountain. "Rose, you can't…"

"There's only one gem Greg. Either I exist or he does."

"Why can't there be two gems?" Greg asked. "Maybe its—"

Amethyst yelled, "Would you shut up about two gems!?"

Rose calmly said, "Shh…." And she brought Greg closer to her face. "I wish we could take a picture, so he'll know what his mom was like."

Garnet snatched the baby out of Rose's hands. Rose tried to get up and grab him, but she was so unsteady that she fell back into the fountain. Her image flickered back and forth. So did the baby's image. Garnet seized the gem on the baby's bellybutton.

Rose shouted, "No! Give him my half!"

Garnet trembled a little. The baby was growing cold.

Rose begged, "Please…"

Garnet looked at the baby—the human-gem half-breed creature—and she looked at her friend—the idiot who decided to have this baby. Which one should she save?

She trembled as she returned the baby to Rose. Pearl yelled, "GARNET NO! GARNET!"

Garnet said, "It's Rose's dying wish…"

Amethyst didn't know what to do or to say. Greg held on to Rose, and linked his hand in hers. Garnet trembled as she reached for Rose's gem…

And yanked it out of her belly button. Rose gasped in pain, but she gladly accepted her piece of the gem when Garnet handed it to her, and placed it into the baby's bellybutton. The baby glowed with soft pink light, took a deep breath, and started crying.

For a moment, everything seemed fine. Rose stopped flickering, and so did the baby.

Amethyst emitted a hopeful squeal. Pearl began to smile a shocked smile. Rose closed her eyes. She shook her head, "Sorry… I about the false hope. I am dying. Just very slowly." She kissed her baby. "I'm so sorry Steven…"

"Steven?" Greg repeated.

Rose nodded. "That's going to be his name, okay? Steven Quartz Universe. And he's going to be a crystal gem. And… and…" she started smiling. "We're all going to raise him together. He's going to be a strong crystal warrior, and a brave human. He's going to be a happy little guy, and, and…"

Her hair started to fade into roses. She continued, "And he's going to be surrounded by family."

Amethyst jumped into the fountain too. "Rose! You can't leave us! You can't!"

Rose smiled, "I'm not leaving. I'll just be in this little ball of sunshine here. He has my gem."

Greg mumbled, "Rose…"

Rose said, "You will all be fine without me. Garnet is a natural leader, although she can be a lone wolf. Pearl is wise, although she can be emotional. Amethyst has lots of heart and energy, although she can be wild. You'll all do fine." She cringed. Then she turned to Greg and placed Steven in his arms. "I'm sorry that I'm leaving you alone with the baby. We had all these plans to raise him and…"

Greg kissed her as he stroked her hair. "Don't worry about it."

She smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"I love you Garnet! I love you Pearl! I love you Amethyst! I love you Greg! And I love you! Steven!" she said with her last breath, as she faded away.

"We love you too!" they all replied.

She waved goodbye and disappeared. Baby Steven cried harder.

Pearl dropped to her knees. "Garnet… you had the chance to save her…"

Garnet knelt down, punched the floor and cried, "I just couldn't."

Amethyst snapped at Pearl, "That was an incredibly hard decision to make!"

Greg mumbled, "She wouldn't have forgiven herself if Steven died instead of her. You made the right choice Garnet."

Pearl shouted, "YOU! YOU, YOU, YOU HORRIBLE HUMAN! YOU, YOU KILLED HER!"

Greg nodded. "If I'd only known it would kill her, I wouldn't have given her a baby. I didn't mean for this to happen."

Pearl stood up and marched right up to him, "Well now you've done it! She's gone! Forever! And, and…" She saw the baby up close. "Now we've got this thing instead!"

Amethyst argued, "It's not a _thing_! It's Rose Quartz's baby!"

Pearl shot back, "I'd rather have Rose Quartz!"

Greg fussed, "All this yelling is scaring him."

Steven cried.

Pearl looked at the little ball of flesh. "How are we going to take care of a human baby?"

Greg shrugged.

Pearl said, "Well give it to me, since you're obviously clueless."

Greg slowly handed the baby to Pearl. Pearl held him in her arms. He stopped crying, and grabbed onto her tightly, seeking comfort. Pearl's heart melted. She stroked his hair. "Well… maybe he isn't that bad…"

Garnet and Amethyst surrounded Pearl and Steven. Amethyst sighed. "We're going to need to read a lot of books again, aren't we?"

Garnet nodded. Pearl said, "And I guess we can just… wing it… sometimes."

Garnet said, "You know, it's actually kind of cute."

Pearl nodded.

Amethyst said, "I would have named it chubby cheerio if I had the chance. Good thing Rose named him."

At the mention of Rose's name, a sweet smelling breeze wafted through the air.

"Oh Rose…" everyone said in unison.

And each of the Gems made a promise to herself, and to Rose, that they'd love her child.

The End.


End file.
